The invention relates to a platform that may be provided on a boat and moved towards and away from the water to facilitate persons leaving and entering the water and lowering and raising objects such as dinghies in and out of the water.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,045 discloses a personal watercraft lift for the transom of a boat. The lift comprises a horizontal platform which projects from the stern of the boat at the transom and may be vertically raised and lowered by a mechanism contained within the hull at the transom end.
This is a comparatively unattractive arrangement in that the platform is always permanently visible as such. It projects beyond the back of the boat thus lengthening the boat, and is also exposed to being damaged during use of the boat.